October 7, 2009

After spending close to $97 million on its 2009 payroll, the Chicago White Sox have committed $72 million to 10 players next season. According to the vibe on the South Side, corporate spending will not be any better to help the team’s payroll in 2010. Sources say the Sox payroll for next season will be $95 million. In order to have a productive club ready to overtake the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins in the AL Central Division, general manager Kenny Williams and company will have to be more active in the trading market than the more costly free-agent route.

The future of closer Bobby Jenks will be a key component to offseason additions. After earning over $5 million in 2009, Jenks’ automatic number if he goes to arbitration will be between $7 million-$8 million next season. That type of money may be too pricey for the White Sox as they put together the back end of their bullpen. …

MLBTR says both Jermaine Dye and Octavio Dotel project as Type A Free-Agents. A team that loses a Type A free-agent receives 2 extra draft picks when another team signs them, provided that the team that loses the player offers him arbitration. One draft pick comes from the team that signs the player and the other in a supplemental draft round. It doesn’t look like the Sox will offer arbitration to Dye or Dotel though. If D & D are offered arbitration they could accept and Kenny wouldn’t like having to pay them.

For the player, Type A status can be dangerous. If a Type A free agent is offered arbitration and declines, his new team has to give up a draft pick to sign him. The following teams would have to give up their first-round pick in 2010 if they sign a Type A free agent from another team who was offered and turned down arbitration: the Rays (#17), Mariners, Tigers, Braves, Twins, Rangers, Marlins, Giants, Cardinals, Rockies, Phillies, Dodgers, Red Sox, Angels, and Yankees. The teams not listed would have to give up their second-round pick. … Last winter’s events might lead to a game of cat and mouse between players and teams this time around – teams will be less inclined to offer arbitration to their Type A free agents out of concern that those players will be more inclined to accept. If a player accepts arbitration, he’s under that team’s control for 2010 and the two parties will go to a hearing if they can’t agree on a salary.

He will enter the offseason with the knowledge he will stay at third base after playing his entire career at shortstop until late May. “They’ve made comments that this is the infield we’re going to have, so that means me at third base,” Beckham said. “That’s where I’ll play and that’s where I feel most comfortable. I feel like I can be a lot better defensively than I was at shortstop or third base.”

and this on wanting to eliminate slumps:

“Usually it’s small things. During my last lull, all I did was tell myself to pick up my front foot instead of moving my body. After that, I’ve been squaring the ball. Who knows? It’s a tough game, and every time you come out of a slump, you know you can come out of it.”

Left fielder Carlos Quentin had surgery Tuesday to remove a pin from his right wrist. Quentin had the pin inserted in September 2008 after fracturing his wrist while slamming it against a bat after fouling off a pitch. He is expected to make a full recovery well before the start of spring training. Quentin hit 21 home runs despite missing nearly two months because of plantar fasciitis in his left foot.